This invention relates to container fertilizers.
In one class of container fertilizer, naturally occurring organic materials such as peat moss or wood are used either by themselves or mixed with soil or inert potting media such as sand or vermiculite.
In the prior art container fertilizers, the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the plants has been high such as in a range from 20 to 1 to 180 to 1. It is known to combine inorganic nitrogen sources of fertilizer with plant material to improve the carbon to nitrogen ratio to a range of between 20 to 1 and 30 to 1, such as disclosed by Shimizu in Japanese Pat. No. 5157554. Hardwood bark waste paper pulp and organic vegetable matter combined with inorganic nitrogen sources of fertilizer have been published and have shown beneficial results in U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,716 to Sterrett and Japanese Pat. No. 5157554 to Shimizu.
Several prior art patents disclose compositions containing high protein and/or high carbon plant material but not in the required proportions or in a way having the beneficial results of this invention, such as: (1) the patent to Sherwin et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,257, teaches the use of a soil conditioning composition formed from one part seaweed by weight to 10 parts tree bark as determined by the thickness of the mixture to be applied; (2) the patent to Klein, U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,269, discloses a fertilizer which includes a mixture of alfalfa straw with animal waste to form a compost; (3) the patent to Clapp, U.S. Pat. No. 1,078,716, discloses a composition of cellulose fiber with sawdust or other absorbent material such as moss for germinating seeds; and (4) the publication, "Soil," by Rogers et al, 1957 Yearbook of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., discloses the plowing under of crops for improving the soil and preventing or reducing erosion.
The use of peat moss has several disadvantages, such as: (1) peat moss is becoming expensive and higher grade peat moss is becoming difficult to find; and (2) some peat moss contains salt in quantities detrimental to some plants. The use of hardwood bark together with inorganic nitrogen has a disadvantage in that it is expensive and limited in use because the inorganic nitrogen is washed through the soil rather quickly.
Moreover, it has been found that plants grown in potting mixtures having a high carbon content such as those containing only wheat straw or with high a nitrogen content such as those containing only alfalfa hay exhibit subnormal growth response. For example, plants which are planted in a mixture containing 100% alfalfa hay either die or are stunted, with the leaves remaining dark green with slightly diminished glossiness and turgidity. Very few survive beyond five days.
Similarly, plants grown in potting mixtures containing 70% to 100% wheat straw are stunted and exhibit moderate to severe leaf chlorosis. There also appears to be accelerated tissue maturation with leaf abscission occurring earlier. The use of mixtures with the wrong proportions of nitrogen and carbon may stunt growth. Inorganic nitrogen fertilizer is washed prematurely from the mix and seaweed or animal waste tend to prevent adequate drainage.